Machine for making metallic balls



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. A. JONES.

MACHINE FOR MAKING METALLIC BALLS. P10455380. PaJtented July 14,1891.

THE mama versus an, PHOTO-HTML, wAsnmurcm u c.

.( M l.) a Sheets8heet 2.

E. A. JONES. A MACHINE FOR MAKING METALLIC BALLS- Patentd July 14,1891.

llNrrnn STATES P TENT OFFI E.

ED\VARD A. JONES, OF TQNAXVANDA, NElV YORK.

MACHINE FOR MAKlhl G.METALL lC BALLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 455,880, dated July 14,1891.

Application filed January 19/1891-5 Serial No. 378,289. (No model.) I

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that -I, EDWARD A. JONES, a

subject of the Queen of Great Britain, resid-- ing at Tonawanda, in thecounty of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and:

useful Improvement in Machines for Making Metal Balls, of which thefollowing-is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine by which metallic balls are madefromrods-or bars of metal by rolling or swaging portions of such rods orbars between movable dies. Heretofore these dies have been made straightand have had a rectilinear movement in opposite directions, or they havebeenmade' curved and mounted upon the cylindrical faces'of disksrotating in opposite directions. A straight die moving in a rectilinearpath has also been combined with a curved die moving in a circular path.

My invention has particular reference to a machine in which two curveddies are mounted upon rotating disks and has the object to improve theconstruction of such a machine, so as to compact or condense the metalmore thoroughly and to produce balls of more true. I

or exact spherical form.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of three sheets, Figure 1 is alongitudinal sectional elevation of my improved ball-forming machine.Fig. 2' is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a cross-section thereof inline on a Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a face view of one of the diecarrying disks.Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation of one of the disks and the gage forthe blank. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section showing theblank between theopposing dies. Fig. 7 is a detached view of the swaging-dies, showingtheir position preparatory to seizing the blank. Fig. 8 is an elevationof one of said dies. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 10is a face view thereof. Figs.

11, 12, 13, and 14: are transverse sections of the opposing dies,showing the progressive steps in forming the balls. Fig. 15 is a view ofa ball before it is finished.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures. 1

A represents the main frame of the machine, consisting, essentially,'ofa top plate a, side pieces a, cross-pieces a and legs a B represents themain driving-shaft, arfranged lengthwise in the frame underneath 'thetop plate and journaled in bearings a secured to the cross-pieces a anda standard er", arranged adjacent to one end of the main frame.

0 C represent tight and loose pulleys arranged on the shaft between thestandard and the main frame.

D D represent two die-carrying disks arranged transversely in the mainframe with :their fiat opposing faces separated a suitable distance. Thedisks are provided on their rear sides with stub-shafts E E, journaled,respectively, in bearings e 6 e 6 secured to ;the top plate of the mainframe. shafts are arranged in line with each other and are surrounded bysplit conical sleeves e, which are adj ustably arranged in the bearingsto take up Wear. I F represents a gear-wheel keyed. to the shaft E ofthe disk D between its bearings e 'e and meshing with a pinion fon themain driving-shaft, whereby the disk D is rotated directly from thedriving-shaft.

G is a gear-wheel keyed to the shaft E of the disk D between itsbearings e 6 and meshing with an idler gear-wheel g, mounted Each ofthese bearings is provided with an annular row of balls h, arranged in acup orrecess 7L in the outer end of each shaft, and a follower h bearingagainst said balls. Each follower is provided on its outer side with ascrew-threaded shank arranged in a bracket 71 secured to the adjacentbearing and provided with a j am-nut h, whereby the follower can beadjusted.

1 represents thrust-rollers whereby the outer portions of thedie-carrying disks are held against backward movement. These rollers arejournaled in brackets i, secured to the top plate, and bear against therear side of the disks on opposite sides of each shaft. These Thesestubbrackets are adjustably secured to the top plate by means of boltsi, passing through slots t formed in. said brackets.

1 represents an intermediate ball-bearing arranged between the adjacentinner ends of the disk-shafts, whereby the disks are prevented fromapproaching each other. This bearing consists of a cup i an annular rowof balls 2' arranged in said cup, and a follower 2' bearing against theballs. The cup and the follower are each provided with a screw-threadedshank which engages in a screw-threaded opening in the adjoiningdisk-shaft. By means of these adjustable ball-bearings at the outer andinner ends of the disk-shafts the endthrust'of the disk-shafts isrelieved and the disks can be easily adjusted longitudinally in themachine.

.1 .1 represent the dies whereby the blank is rolled and swaged into aspherical form. These dies are secured in pairs to the flat opposingsides of the disks, so that the working-faces of each pair of dies movepast each other in opposite directions. Each of the dies consists of asteel bar curved concentric with the disk-shaft and arranged with itsback betweentwo concentric ribs jj, formed on the front side of thedisk, as represented in Fig. 4.

7 represents adjusting --scre\vs arranged horizontally in the die,between-the ribs jj,

and bearing against the back of the die, for adjusting the samehorizontally toward and from the opposing die.

j represents set-screws arranged radially inthe outer rib j and engagingagainst the outer side of the die, whereby the latter is clamped againstthe inner ribv j and secured in position after adjustment.

Theworking-faoe of each die is arranged nearly in a plane at rightangles to the axis ofrotation and is constructed as follows: Asemicircular groove K is first cut into the face of a curved steel barhaving the same thickness throughout its length. This groove commencesat the front end.- Z of the bar and rises ,rearwardly with reference tothe baseline or back L of the bar to the point Z, which is located aboutone-fifth of the length of the barfrom the front end, and then fallswith reference to the base-line to the rear end Z of the bar, therebyforming a groove composed of an ascending front portion m and a descendingrear portion m. The inclination of the ascending front portion m ofthe groove is very slight and that of the descending rear portion isabout the same. The projecting portions of the bar forming the inn ercurved -face portion m and the outer concentric face portion m onopposite sides of the groove are next ground down, so that the face ofthe die gradually rises from the front end toward the rear end. Thedie-face is ground down to about one-half of the depth of the groove andparallel with the bottom of the latter from the front end of the die tothe summit Z of the groove. Beyond this point the dieface is ground sothat it rises gradually in a curve to the point it, which is locatedabout one-fifth of the length of the die from the rear end, and fromthere the die-face continues to the end parallel with the base-line ofthe die,

M. represents a \/-shaped rest for supporting the blank as it is fedbetween the dies. This rest is secured upon the front portion of the topplate between the dies.

M represents a stop or gage whereby the inward movement of the blank islimited as the latter is fed between the dies. This gage is secured tothe flat face of one of the disks opposite the front end of its die, andis made adjustable by means of slots m through which the fastening-boltsm pass. The front ends of the dies are rounded to permit the blank toenter between the dies, and the face of each die is of sufficient widthon each side of the groove to enable the dies to firmly grasp the blankon, opposite sides of the groove, as represented in Figs. 5 and ll.

The bar or blank is heated and placed on the rest. \Vhen the gagearrives opposite the rest, the blank is pushed against the gage and thedies then seize the blank. Asthe dies rotate past each other their facesgradually approach each other, and force the metal into the grooves ofboth dies. The flat faces outside of the groove seize the blank as soonas the front ends. of the dies arrive opposite each other, andgrasptheblank so firmly that they crowd the metal inwardly and force itinto the groove from the beginning of the operation, instead ofspreading the metal, which takes place when the front portions of thedies are narrow and have a rearwardlydiverging form. During the rotationof the dies the bar between them is rolled and twisted, but remainspractically at the point Where it was introduced'between the dies untilit is.finishedinto a ball. When the dies are rotated so that the summitsZ of both grooves stand opposite each other, the bar is pressed orswaged to such an extent that the metal is in contact with the bottom ofthe groove, as represented in Fig. 12, and completes the equator 0 ofthe ball. During the subsequent rotation of the dies the projectingdie-faces IIIO continue to approach each other and the depth of thegroove increases in proportion. This causes the dies to crowd the metalinto the groove and increases the spherical form of the ball. hen thedies have rotated so that the highest points a of the faces standopposite each other, the ball is twisted or pinched off from the bar, asrepresented in Fig. 13, which leaves the ball with two projecting polesp p, as represented in Fig. 15. The preliminary formation of the ball iseffected by the pressure of the dies against the equatorial side of theball, which causes the ball to revolve or roll at right angles to therotation of the dies. During the final operation of the dies from thepoint at to the end of the die the projectingpoles of the ball areremoved and the ball is delivered from the dies in a perfect sphericalform, as follows: The die being curved concentric with the axis ofrotation, the outer curved wall of its groove extends over a greaterdistance than its inner wall, which is arranged nearer the axis of thedies. The lineal difference between the outer and inner walls of thegroove causes the ball to be rotated on an axis parallel with the axisof the dies, or at right angles to the axis on which the ball rotatedbefore it was severed from the bar. The ball in being so rotated both bythe opposing faces of the dies in one direction and in another directionby the difference in the length and speed of the groove-walls receives aspiral movement, which causes the ball to present all parts of itssurface to the action of the dies, thereby enabling the latter to removethe poles or projections and producing a ball of perfectly-sphericalform. This spiral movement is retarded when the ball is in contact withthe bottom of the grooves, which produce a uniform pressure on all sidesof the ball. To avoid this the grooves are cut sufficiently deep fromthe point "it to the rear end of the dies to form a clear space g between the bottom of each die and the ball, as

represented in Fig. 14, which enables the side walls to exert a greaterinfluence in ro tating the ball. In order to increase the spiralmovement of the ball in finishing the same, the rear portion 0" of theface of one die projects beyond the center line of the groove toward theopposite die, and the rear portion r of the face of the opposing dierecedes to the same extent, as represented in Fig. let. This produces abearing for the outer and inner parts of the ball in the same die and ina line passing diametrically through the ball.

The rear end of the groove in each die is rounded off, so as to avoidmarking or indenting the balls as they issue from the dies.

As represented in Fig. at, each disk is provided with two dies, formingtwo pairs of dies. By increasing the size of the disks a larger numberof dies may be employed and the product of the machine becorrespondingly multiplied.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with two disks arranged inline and rotating in opposite directions, of ball-forming dies securedto the opposing sides of the disks and provided with curved groovesformed in the opposing flat sides-of the dies, substantially as setforth.

2. A ballforming die having a curved groove in which the outer side ofthe groove has a longer radius than theinner side, and

flat faces beginning at the front end of the die on both sides of thegroove and extend ing to the rear end of the die, substantially as setforth. V

3. A ball-forming die having a groove which ascends from the frontend ofthe die to a summit point and descends from said point to the rear endof the die, substantially as set forth. I

4. The combination of two curved dies 1'0- tating about the same axisand each provided with a curved groove in its flat side, one of saiddies being provided in its rear portion with side faces which projecttoward the other die beyond the center line of the groove and the otherdie being provided in its rear portion with correspondingly-recedingside faces, substantially as set forth.

5. In a ball-forming machine, the combination, with two revolving disksarranged axially in line, of opposing dies secured to the faces of saiddisks, substantially as set forth.

(5. In a ball-forming machine, the combination, with two revolving disksarranged axiallyin line, of curved dies secured to said disks and havingtheir workingfaces arranged about at right angles to the axis of thedisks, substantially as set forth.

7. In a ball-forming machine, the combination, with two revolving disksarranged axially in line, of dies secured to thefaces of said disks, anda gage whereby the inward movement of the blank between the dies islimited, substantially as set forth.

S. In a ball-forming machine, the combination, with the two revolvingdisks arranged axially in line, of dies secured'tothe faces of saiddisks, and a gage secured to the face of the die, substantially as setforth.

9. In a ball-forming machine, the combination, with the main frame, oftwo revolving disks arranged axially in line and journaled in bearingson the main frame, dies secured to the faces of the disks, andthrust-rollers bearing against the rear-sides of said disks,substantially as set forth.

10. In a ball-forming machine, the combination, with two revolving disksarranged axially in line, of dies secured to the faces of the disks, anda thrust-bearing interposed between the facesv of the disks,substantially as set forth.

11. In a ball-forming machine, the combination, with two revolving disksarranged axially in line, and dies secured to their flat faces, of a cupprovided with a threaded shank which enters one of said disks, afollower provided with a threaded shank which enters the other disk, andballs interposed between the follower and the cup, substantially as setforth. v i

12. Ina ball-forming machine, the combination, with the main frame, oftwo revolving disks arranged axially in line and provided with shaftsjournaled on the main frame, and thrust-bearings engaging with the endsof the shafts, whereby the end-thrust of the disks is relieved,substantially as set forth. l

13. In a ball-forming machine,-the combination, with two revolving disksmounted upon shafts arranged axially in line and having dies secured totheir flat faces, of a main frame in which said shafts are journaled,Vitnessmy hand this 12th day of Januand hhrust-bearings composed ofbrackets exmy, 1591. tendlng over the ends of the shafts, screw- EDWARDA JONES.

' followers Working in said brackets, and balls interposed between saidfollowers and re- Witnesses:

eessed rests in the ends of the shafts, sub- F. C. GEYER, stantially asset forth. l ALICE G. CONNELLY.

